Abstract
Much research has recently been dedicated to applying genetic algorithms to populations of neural networks. However. While in real organisms the inherited genotype maps in complex ways into the resulting phenotype, in most of this research the development process that creates the individual phenotype is ignored. In this paper we present a model of neural development which includes cell division and cell migration in addition to axonal growth and branching. This reflects, in a very simplified way, what happens in the ontogeny of real organisms. The development process of our artificial organisms shows successive phases of functional differentiation and specialization. In addition, we find that mutations that affect different phases of development have very different evolutionary consequences. A single change in the early stages of cell division and migration can have huge effects on the phenotype, while changes in later stages usually have a less dramatic impact. Sometimes, changes that affect the first developmental stages may be retained, producing sudden changes in evolutionary history.
DOI
10.1088/0954-898X/5/4/005
Publication Date
1994-11-01
Publication Title
Network: Computation in Neural Systems
Volume
5
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
497
Last Page
515
Recommended Citation
Cangelosi, A., Parisi, D., & Nolfi, S. (1994) 'Cell division and migration in a `genotype' for neural networks', Network: Computation in Neural Systems, 5, pp. 497-515. Informa UK Limited: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1088/0954-898X/5/4/005
